Back in May I wrote a piece describing what it is like to see the world through the eyes of somebody with Aspergers Syndrome, a.k.a. me. That article can be found here: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/look-me-in-the-ey...
Now I will take a larger scale view of the spectrum and discuss the more scholastic side of ASD.
Recommended for you
Yes, us Aspies go to school just like you. We walk the halls, take the same classes, participate in the same clubs, etc...what separates us is how we process the information presented to us, and react with the greater school community. Experiences vary by case, so what you read is from my view only.
For me in particular, schoolwork has more or less always been a problem. My classmates seemed to ace test after test, producing very high GPAs and getting accepted into 'prestigious' programs. Those who only talk to me have gotten a similar impression: "you seem like a good student" many have said, and why wouldn't they? I come from a highly academic family, went through a top notch K-12 school system and try to think logically about problems sent my way. But you would be mistaken to believe that I am among the scholastic elites.
Early on, I don't know how my parents managed. I was infamous for throwing fits, especially in middle school and extra especially with math. Not being able to understand the concepts after trying to work through a problem was enough to get send me off in an outrage. This would seem typical if I wasn't much older than I was supposed to be at that stage of attitude.
Since the time specific grades actually started to matter, I have been at best an average student. My GPA has never been above a 3.4 (and as of last spring dropped below 3.0 for the first time, and it is likely to stay down there for the remainder of my time as a student). I rarely, if ever, get a score higher than 75% on exams, I routinely grade at a C in course, or sometimes I just barely squeak by at all. While classmates are making Dean's Lists, receiving scholarships, managing 20 credits, double-majors, legitimate jobs, and yet seem very put together, I spend weeks on end studying the right material on only 14 credits, and still manage to epically fail the ensuing exam.
Absorption: Something that's often overlooked when considering academics is how quickly somebody absorbs and retains information. While many of my peers will be hard at work mastering the concepts we literally just learned, I will need at least another day of note review and textbook reading to begin to grasp them. I've discovered that no matter how hard I try to pay attention and actively participate, there's no way I'm going to absorb the material at the same rate as most others in the class. This reality must be embraced and my studying needs to be adjusted as a result.
Single-minded focus: I have very clear non-school interests, and while those have their place in the day, oftentimes they will absorb way too much of my time and I have trouble getting my mind to focus on the slightly more bland, yet more important stuff in front of me. A big challenge is forcing myself to think about the ABSOLUTE most important task at hand.
Perspective studying: When a professor tells the class "you need to study 2 hours a night of this material in order to catch on" most probably think "I'll make it work in 1" I however know it's a reminder that I need to study for at least an extra hour over what's recommended, if not more, to have any hope of staying up to speed. I've learned to anticipate extended study periods over what is already expected.
Incentive: No matter how much I tell myself otherwise, the only time I am truly motivated to study is when stared face-to-face with potential failure. You'd think that after so many close calls, I'd be better at this part. Unfortunately, sometimes even that isn't enough to keep me going.
Test taking: Tests are intended to be difficult, but when you have to read through extra slowly to stand a chance of getting the question right, they can also take a much longer time than normal. This is an obstacle I still struggle to overcome.
What I discovered, especially in these past couple years as a Bobcat, is that the only way I'm going to be able to ace all of my coursework with flying colors, I would need essentially need to fill any time I'm not either eating or sleeping with constant studying. Seeing as I enjoy other activities which keep me going through school with a purpose, I am willing to take grades on the average side if it means being a more complete person.
